Dolphins in 'bad shape' after BP oil spill
"Bottlenose dolphins with missing teeth, lung disease, and abnormal hormone levels were found swimming in the Gulf of Mexico a year after the BP oil spill, US researchers say.
Pneumonia, liver disease and a pregnant female carrying a dead fetus were also reported in the first major study of dolphin health after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that spilled 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
Half of the 32 dolphins studied off the coast of Louisiana in August 2011 -- a year and four months after the worst oil spill in US history began -- were judged to be seriously ill or in danger of dying.
"I've never seen such a high prevalence of very sick animals," said lead author Lori Schwacke, a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)."
